November 2009

November 04, 2009

Apparently, voters are fed up with Wall Street funding its own in the campaigns for continuing power.

Despite the fact that he spent more than $100 million against an opponent almost no one knew, Republican New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg garnered only slightly more than 51% of the vote Tuesday, despite predictions that he would run away with the race because of his unlimited funding. The same was true for New Jersey's Democratic Governor Corzine, who lost his office to an opponent who was wildly outspent and was a virtual unknown going into the race (in fact, he's STILL pretty much an unknown).

Most interesting of all, though, is the purging of Sarah Palin's Republican Party as activists turn on anyone in the GOP who has ever had a moderate thought. Nothing proves our nation's voters will not tolerate extremes like the New York District 23 Congressional race. Extremist Republicans rebelled at the Republican candidate, a sitting member of the New York State Assembly, because she dared to support abortion rights, gay marriage, and the stimulus bill that pulled America back from the edge of depression. They turned instead to the Conservative Party candidate because he held views further to the right than the Republican. The backlash against moderation and tolerance among Republican activists, led by 2012 Presidential hopefuls Sarah Palin and Tim Pawlenty, that the Republican candidate finally withdrew from the race three days before the election. All pundits predicted a victory for the "even more conservative" candidate of the conservative party.

Voters, on the other hand, rejected that extremism -- and elected a Democrat to the post for the first time since the 1800s. The Republican Party is imploding. Once again, the party has drifted so far to the right that candidates who are rightwing enough to win Republican primaries discover that they are too far right to be elected in the general election.

Let that be a lesson to Democrats, as well. America's voters are in the middle -- not EITHER extreme.

That is particularly true in Oklahoma in the coming election cycle. Additionally, as pointed out by my wife, Cari (the best intuitive political strategist I have every met), 2010 -- more than any election cycle in recent history -- will be a year of LOCAL issues. People are hurting. Jobs are lost LOCALLY. Finances are tight LOCALLY. Businesses are closing LOCALLY. Roads are being neglected LOCALLY. As Cari so aptly puts it, "No one who is unemployed, hungry, or scared is going to care about any major statewide issues, let alone the 'starving children in China' -- unfortunately."

2010 candidates -- even candidates for statewide office -- who fail to recognize the needs of INDIVIDUAL VOTERS and LOCAL COMMUNITIES will likely suffer the same fate as those who lean toward extremes on the left or right -- a chance to prepare their candidacy for the NEXT election cycle after they lose this one.

In 2010...beware the "big picture" and the extreme positions. They'll both spell doom.